With the new Championship season now less than two weeks away, Hull City are on the verge of their fourth signing of the summer transfer window.

Sparta Prague defender Ondrej Mazuch has been training with the Tigers and is expected to sign a permanent deal with Leonid Slutsky’s side this week, bolstering the Russian’s defensive ranks.

City fans in Portugal got a glimpse of Mazuch on Saturday as City edged past Benfica with a 1-0 win on Saturday.

But who is Ondrej Mazuch and what can he bring to the KCOM Stadium?

Who is he?

When Fiorentina paid Czech side Brno £2.5million for the 17-year-old defender in 2007, they made an investment in one of the best young defenders in the Czech Republic. However, things never really worked out for Mazuch in Italy, making just two appearances before moving onto Anderlecht where he really made his name.

A spell at Ukrainian side Dnipro ended with a cruciate ligament rupture before moving home to sign a four-and-a-half year deal with Sparta Prague.

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However, after just a year in the Czech Republic, Mazuch was granted permission to travel to Portugal to meet up and train with Slutsky’s City side where by all accounts he impressed to Russian.

Ondrej Mazuch of Hull City (Image: Robbie Stephenson/JMP)

What position does he play?

An out-and-out centre-back is just what the Tigers need at the moment. As City have no other options, Mazuch will likely slot in alongside Michael Dawson when the Tigers host Nantes on Tuesday night at Craven Park, much like he did against Benfica on Saturday.

While goalscoring may not be his strongest attribute, the Czech bagged four in one season whilst with Anderlecht, a total that would have made him one of the Tigers top scorers last season.

What experience does he have?

With over 200 league appearances to his name, Mazuch’s experience and wisdom could do wonders for the Tigers young squad. With the defensive options such as Josh Clackstone and Brian Lenihan expected to step up on a regular basis to the first-team this season, the 28-year-old could be a cool head in the backline.

With a Belgian First Division title, a Europa League runners-up medal picked up with Dnipro and three international caps to his name, Mazuch is likely to take the ebbs and flows of the Championship on his stride.